Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Fine Structure of the Left Periphery

  • Chapter
Elements of Grammar

Part of the book series: Kluwer International Handbooks of Linguistics ((KIHL))

Abstract

Under current assumptions, the structural representation of a clause consists of three kinds of structural layers, each layer an instantiation of the X-bar schema:

  1. 1.

    The lexical layer, headed by the verb, the structural layer in which theta assignment takes place.

  2. 2.

    The inflectional layer, headed by functional heads corresponding to concrete or abstract morphological specifications on the verb, and responsible for the licensing of argumental features such as case and agreement.

  3. 3.

    The complementizer layer, typically headed by a free functional morpheme, and hosting topics and various operator-like elements such as interrogative and relative pronouns, focalized elements, etc.

In the mid eighties, each layer was identified with a single X-bar projection (VP, IP, CP), but this assumption quickly turned out to be too simplistic. Under the impact of Pollock’s (1989) influential analysis of verb movement, IP dissolved into a series of functional projections, each corresponding to system (Agr, T, Asp,…). Kayne’s (1984) binary branching hypothesis naturally led to the postulation of multiple VP layers for multi-argument verbs, e.g. along the lines of Larson (1988) and much related work.

Preliminary versions of this paper were presented in class lectures at the University of Geneva (1993–94, 1994–95), at the 3ème Cycle Romand on Syntax and Pragmatics, Neuchâtel, Jaunary 1994, and in talks at the University of Florence, June 1994, April 1995 and at DIPSCO, Istituto San Raffaele, Milan, February 1995. This research is part of the FNRS project n. 11-33542.93. Thanks are due to Adriana Belletti, Guglielmo Cinque, Brent De Chenes, Grant Goodall, Maria Teresa Guasti, Liliane Haegeman, Ur Shlonsky, Michal Starke for helpful comments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Aboh, E. (1995) ‘Notes sur la focalisation en Gungbe’, manuscript, University of Geneva.

    Google Scholar 

  • Antinucci, F. and G. Cinque (1977) ‘Sull’ordine delle parole in italiano: l’emarginazione’. Studi di grammatica italiana 6, 121–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baltin, M. (1982) ‘A landing site for movement rules’. Linguistic Inquiry 13, 1–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayer, J. (1984) ‘COMP in Bavarian’, The Linguistic Review 3, 209–274.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belletti, A. (1994) ‘Case checking and clitic placement: Three issues in (Italian/Romance) clitics’, GenGenP 1.2, 101–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belletti, A. and U. Shlonsky (1995) ‘The order of verbal complements: A comparative study’, NLLT 13, 489–526.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benincà, P. (1988) “Costruzioni con ordine marcato degli elementi’, in: L. Renzi (ed.), Grande grammatica italiana di consultazione, Volume I, il Mulino, Bologna, pp. 129–145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benincà, P. (1995) ‘La struttura della frase esclamativa alla luce del dialetto padovano’, manuscript, University of Padua.

    Google Scholar 

  • den Besten, H. (1977/1983) ‘On the interaction of root transformations and lexical deletive rules’, in: W. Abraham (ed.), On the Formal Syntax of Westgermania. Benjamins, Amsterdam, pp. 47–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhatt, R. and J. Yoon (1991) ‘On the composition of comp and parameters of V-2’, WCCFL 10, 41–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bianchi, V. (1995) Consequences of Antisymmetry for the Syntax of Headed Relative Clauses, doctoral dissertation. Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bresnan, J. (1977) ‘Variables in the theory of transformations’, in: P. Culicover et al. (eds.), Formal Syntax, Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brody, M. (1990) ‘Some remarks on the focus field in Hungarian’, UCL Working Papers, Vol. 2, University College of London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brody, M. (1995a) Lexico-Logical Form: A Radically Minimalist Theory, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brody, M. (1995b) ‘Focus and checking theory’, in: I. Kenesei (ed.), Levels and Structures (Approaches to Hungarian, Vol. 5), JATE, Szeged, pp. 30–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Calabrese, A. (1982) ‘Alcune ipotesi sulla struttura informazionale delle frase in italiano e sul suo rapporto con la struttura fonologica’, Rivista di Grammatica Generativa 7, 3–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cardinaletti, A. (1983) ‘Lo status dei pronomi d- e la ricostruzione nella dislocazione a sinistra in tedesco’, Rivista di Grammatica Generativa 8, 111–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cardinaletti, A. and I. Roberts (1991) ‘Clause structure and X-second’, manuscript, University of Venice, University of Geneva.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cardinaletti, A. and M. Starke (1994) ‘The typology of structural deficiency’, manuscript, University of Venice, University of Geneva.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cecchetto, C. (1994) ‘Clitic left dislocation and scrambling: Towards a unified analysis’, manuscript, DIPSCO, Fondazione San Raffaele, Milano.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, L. (1991) On the Typology of Wh Questions, doctoral dissertation, MIT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chomsky, N. (1976) ‘Conditions on rules of grammar’, Linguistic Analysis 2, 303–351.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chomsky, N. (1977) ‘On Wh movement’, in: A. Akmajian, P. Culicover and T. Wasow (eds.), Formal Syntax. Academic Press, New York, pp. 71–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chomsky, N. (1986a) Knowledge of Language. Praeger, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chomsky, N. (1986b) Barriers. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chomsky, N. (1991) ‘Some notes on the economy of derivations and representations’, in: R. Freidin (ed.), Principles and Parameters in Comparative Grammar. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass., pp. 417–454.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chomsky, N. (1993) ‘A minimalist program for linguistic theory’, in: K. Hale and S. J. Keyser, (eds.), The View From Building 20. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chomsky, N. (1995) The Minimalist Program. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chomsky, N. and H. Lasnik (1977) ‘Filters and control’, Linguistic Inquiry 8, 425–504.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chomsky, N. and H. Lasnik (1991) ‘Principles and parameters theory’, in: J. Jacobs, A. von Stechow, W. Sternefeld and T. Vennemann (eds.), Syntax: an International Handbook of Contemporary Research. Berlin, De Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cinque, G. (1979) Studi di sintassi e pragmatica, CLESP, Padova.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cinque, G. (1982) ‘On the theory of relative clauses and markedness’, The Linguistic Review 1, 247–296.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cinque, G. (1990) Types of A′ Dependencies. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cinque, G. (1993) ‘A null theory of phrase and compound stress”, Linguistic Inquiry 24, 239–298.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cotteli, S. (1994) ‘The representation of tense in modern Irish’, manuscript, University of Geneva.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crisma, P. (1992) ‘On the acquisition of Wh questions in French’, GenGenP 0(1–2), 115–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Culicover, P. (1992) ‘Topicalisation, inversion and complementizers in English’, OTS Working Papers, D. Delfitto et al. (eds.), Going Romance and Beyond, University of Utrecht, Utrecht.

    Google Scholar 

  • Culicover, P. (1993) ‘The adverb effect: Evidence against ECP accounts of the that-t effects”, NELS 1993, pp. 97–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • de Chenes, B. (1995) ‘Towards and explanatory account of the that-trace effect’, manuscript, University of Geneva.

    Google Scholar 

  • Figueiredo-Silva, M. C. (1994) La position sujet en portugais brésilien, doctoral dissertation, University of Geneva.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedemann, M.-A. (1995) Sujets syntaxiques: positions, inversions et pro, doctoral dissertation, University of Geneva.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fukui, N. (1993) ‘A note on improper movement’. The Linguistic Review 10(2), 111–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • George, L. and J. Kornfilt (1981) ‘Finiteness and boundedness in Turkish’, in: F. Heny (ed.), Binding and Filtering. Croom Helm, London, pp. 105–127.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giorgi, A. and F. Pianesi (1994) ‘Extraction from subjunctive clauses and clausal architecture’, talk presented at the University of Geneva, November 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grimshaw, J. (1991) ‘Extended projections’, manuscript, Rutgers University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grimshaw, J. (1993) ‘Minimal projections, heads and optimality’, manuscript, Rutgers University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grimshaw, J. (1995) ‘Projection, heads and optimality’, manuscript, Rutgers University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grosu, A. (1975) “The position of fronted Wh phrases’, Linguistic Inquiry 6, 588–599.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guasti, T. (1993) Causative and Perception Verbs, Rosenberg & Sellier, Turin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guasti, T. (1994) ‘On the controversial status of romance interrogatives’, manuscript, DIPSCO, Fondazione San Raffaele, Milano.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gundel, J. (1974) The Role of Topic and Comment in Linguistic Theory, Indiana University Linguistic Club, Bloomington, Indiana.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haegeman, L. (1986) ‘INFL, COMP and nominative case assignment in Flemish infinitivals’, in: H. van Riemsdijk and P. Muysken (eds.). Features and Projections. Foris, Dordrecht, pp. 123–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haegeman, L. (1992) Theory and Description in Generative Syntax, Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haegeman, L. (1995) The Syntax of Negation, Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haegeman, L. and R. Zanuttini (1991) ‘Negative heads and the negative criterion’. The Linguistic Review 8, 233–251.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry, A. (1995) Belfast English and Standard English: Dialect Variation and Parameter Setting, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmberg, H. and Ch. Platzack (1988) ‘The role of inflection is Scandinavian syntax’, Working Papers in Scandinavian Syntax 42, 25–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Horvath, J. (1985) Focus in the Theory of Grammar and the Syntax of Hungarian, Foris, Dordrecht.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iatridou, S. (1991) ‘Clitics and island effects”, manuscript, MIT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kayne, R. (1984) Connectedness and Binary Branching, Foris Publications, Dordrecht.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kayne, R. (1994) The Antisymmetry of Syntax, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiss, K. (1987) Configurationality in Hungarian, Reidel, Dordrecht.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koster, J. (1978) Locality Principles in Syntax, Foris Publications, Dordrecht, 2nd printing: 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laka, I. (1990) Negation in Syntax: On the Nature of Functional Categories and Projections, PhD Dissertation, MIT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larson, R. (1988) ‘On the double object construction’. Linguistic Inquiry 19, 335–391.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasnik, H. and M. Saito (1992) Move Alpha. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasnik, H. and T. Stowell (1991) ‘Weakest cross-over’, Linguistic Inquiry 22, 687–720.

    Google Scholar 

  • Longobardi, G. (1980) ‘Connectedness, complementi circostanziali e soggiacenza’, Rivista di Grammatica Generativa 5, 141–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manzini, R. (1992) Locality. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manzini, R. (1995) ‘From “merge and move” to “form dependency”’, University College London Working Papers in Linguistics 7, 205–227.

    Google Scholar 

  • May, R. (1985) Logical Form: Its Structure and Derivation. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCloskey, J. (1992) ‘Adjunction, selection and embedded verb second’, Working Paper LRC-92-07, Linguistics Research Center, University of California, Santa Cruz.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moro, A. (1995) The Raising of Predicates. Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Motapanyane, V. (1995) Theoretical Implications of Complementation in Romanian. Unipress, Padua.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muller, G. and W. Sternefeld (1993) ‘Improper movement and unambiguous binding’, Linguistic Inquiry 24, 461–507.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nakajima, H. (1993) ‘Topic phrases and complementizers’, manuscript, Tokyo Metropolitan University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pesetsky, D. (1995) Zero Syntax. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poletto, C. (1993) ‘Subject clitic — verb inversion in north-Eastern Italian dialects’, in: A. Belletti (ed.), Syntactic Theory and the Dialects of Italy, Rosenberg & Sellier, Turin, pp. 204–251

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollock, J.-Y. (1989) ‘Verb movement, universal grammar and the structure of IP’, Linguistic Inquiry 20, 365–424.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puskas, G. (1992) ‘The Wh criterion in Hungarian’, Rivista di Grammatica Generativa 17, 141–186.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reinhart, T. (1981) ‘Two comp positions’, in: A. Belletti, L, Brandi and L. Rizzi (eds.), Theory of Markedness in Generative Grammar. Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rivero, M.-L. (1991) ‘Exceptional case marking effects in Rumanian subjunctive complements’, in: D. Wanner and D. A. Kibbee (eds.), New Analyses in Romance Linguistics. Benjamins, Amsterdam, pp. 273–298.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rizzi, L. (1982) Issues in Italian Syntax. Foris Publications, Dordrecht.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rizzi, L. (1986) ‘On the status of subject clitics in Romance’, in: O. Jaeggli and C. Silva-Corvalan (eds.), Studies in Romance Linguistics. Foris Publications, Dordrecht, pp. 391–419.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rizzi, L. (1990) Relativized Minimality. MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rizzi, L. (1991) ‘Residual verb second and the Wh criterion’, Technical Reports in Formal and Computational Linguistics 2, University of Geneva.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rizzi, L. (1993) ‘A parametric approach to comparative syntax: Properties of the pronominal system’, English Linguistics 10, Tokyo, 1–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rizzi, L. (1994) ‘Early null subjects and root null subjects’, in: T. Hoekstra and B. Schwartz (eds.), Language Acquisition in Generative Grammar. Benjamins, Amsterdam/Philadelphia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rizzi, L. (1995) ‘A note on do support’, manuscript, University of Geneva.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rizzi, L. and I. Roberts (1989) ‘Complex inversion in French’, Probus 1, 1–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, I. (1993) Verbs and Diachronic Syntax. Kluwer, Dordrecht.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rochemont, M. (1989) ‘Topic islands and the subjacency parameter’, Canadian Journal of Linguistics 34, 145–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rochemont, M & P. Culicover (1990) English Focus Constructions and the Theory of Grammar, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Safir, K. (1992) ‘Structural economy’, manuscript, Rutgers University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shlonsky, U. (1994) ‘Agreement in comp’, The Linguistic Review 11, 351–375.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shlonsky, U. (forthcoming) Clause Structure and Word Order in Hebrew: An Essay in Comparative Semitic Syntax, to appear, Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Speas, P. (1994) ‘Null arguments in a theory of economy of projections’, in: E. Benedicto and J. Runner (eds.), Functional Projections, UMOP 17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sportiche, D. (1992) ‘Clitic constructions’, manuscript, UCLA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Starke, M. (1994) ‘On the format for small clauses’, GenGenP 2, 79–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stowell, T. (1981) Origins of Phrase Structure, PhD Dissertation, MIT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsimpli, I. M. (1994) ‘Focussing in modern Greek’, in: K. Kiss (ed.), Discourse-configurational Languages, Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turano, G. (1993) ‘Subjunctive constructions in arberesh and standard Albanian’, Rivista di Grammatica Generativa 18, 101–133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turano, G. (1995) Dipendenze sintattiche in albanese, Unipress, Padua.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vikner, S. (1991) ‘Relative der and other C elements in Danish’, Lingua 84, 109–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watanabe, A. (1993) ‘The notion of finite clauses in Agr-based case theory’, Papers on Case and Agreement I: MIT Working Papers 18, 243–296.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zribi-Hertz, A. (1984) ‘Prépositions orphélines et pronoms nuls’, Recherches Linguistiques 12, 46–91.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Università di Siena, Italy

    Luigi Rizzi

Authors
  1. Luigi Rizzi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Liliane Haegeman

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Rizzi, L. (1997). The Fine Structure of the Left Periphery. In: Haegeman, L. (eds) Elements of Grammar. Kluwer International Handbooks of Linguistics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5420-8_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5420-8_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-4298-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-5420-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation